Alive
by autumnOTH
Summary: He is the arrogant basketball star who puts up a front, and she is the girl being burdened with a past she didn't know about. Will they make it? Nathan & Haley with possibilites of other couples.
1. Prologue

_A new fic about Nathan and Haley. They meet underspecial circumstances,he being the arrogant basketball star who puts up a front, and her being burdened with a past she didn't know about.Their love storykeep on being tested with trials and tribulations. With people out to get them, will they just be another pair or star-crossed lovers, or will they have a happy ending?_

**Chapter 1 – Prologue**

"Honey, do you still remember the time when we went to the park and flew kites?"

Unable to utter a thing, little Joy Elisabeth Solomon nodded. Lying there, her mother looked so frail and pale. Her voice was strained, and to the girl, it sounded far away.

"And the time when mommy brought you to see the horses?"

The little girl nodded again. She would never forget those moments. For a five-year-old, kites and horses; those had been the highlights of her young life.

"When you remember those times, think of mommy, okay?" Lydia Solomon could barely move her parched lips to speak.

Joy nodded, for the third time, just a slight nod of her head. Slowly, her mother lifted a thin arm to her daughter's brown hair, patting it softly.

"You and daddy, be there for each other, okay? You promise me?"

The girl looked up at her mother with tear-filled eyes. "I promise you, mommy. But where are you going, mommy?" she asked, her voice wavering.

"Someplace faraway, honey. Someplace far."

She barely heard her mother's last words; it was softer than the slightest whisper. She watched in horror as her mother's head lolled backward, lifeless. She clutched at her mother's hand, now cold. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Mommy!" she cried, over and over again, trying to wake her mother up. But she failed.

Her father led her out of the room. "Go to your room, princess." Her father looked old and tired, with black bags under his eyes, more wrinkles than he ever had.

"I want mommy!"

"Go to your room now!" Jack Solomon raised his voice, his heart breaking. His wife, his beloved Lydia was gone. He looked at his daughter, an epitome of his beautiful wife. "I'm sorry, darling. Please, go to your room."

Crying, she walked slowly to her room as sirens wailed loudly in the distance.

-

Ten years later.

Joy sat huddled up at a corner of her room, clutching her knees to her chest, hugging herself tightly as she tried to get rid of the absence she felt. Anything to get away from it all. In her hands was an old photo, yellow of age. It was curled up at the side, a sign of the photo being handled and looked at countless times. In it were her mother and her father, with her in their arms, barely a toddler at that time. Her mother was so beautiful, her father handsome. Slowly, she ran a finger over her mother's face.

"I kept my promise, Mom." A single tear rolled down her fair cheek. "I was there for Dad. But Dad, he broke his promise. He left me," she whispered, the tears dropping hot and fast, dripping down onto the photo. Joy wiped them away with her shirt. It was all she had left of her parents. Just a photo, just distant memories. She fingered the string of pearls around her neck that had been her mother's. All that she had left of a family.

-

After her parents died, Joy was put in the care of her governess, Karen James. She had no siblings nor did she have any relatives that she could stay with. Karen had taken care of her since she had been a mere child, and Joy owed it all to her. Karen saw to it that she had a good education, fun, and a life as normal as it could get.

She grew up to be a beautiful young lady; taking after her mother. She was a fair Irish beauty, with rich brown straight hair framing porcelain cheeks and big hazel eyes from under long lashes. She often found solace in front of the piano, making up new melodies as she went, much like the musical talents her mother possessed. While she was blessed with the beauty and talent of her mother, she inherited the intellect of her father. Nothing was impossible.

Most of her life, growing up, had been in her bedroom. She never went to any public schools; her parents hired a private governess, Karen, for her. Karen was her teacher, her caretaker, everything to her. Jack Solomon was an important Irish delegate. Work and politics dominated his life; he left the house early, and came back late at night. His wife, Lydia, played the role that was expected of her perfectly. Every single strand of her hair was perfectly groomed; she supported the right charities, and turned up at the right social events. Joy didn't know it, but her parents were the quintessence of perfection in their country.

Being a significant icon, their family's safety was often feared and big guards in black surrounded plenty of Joy's childhood. Part of her was scared of the big, burly and gruff men who stood around her door everyday, following the three of them everywhere they went. But slowly, her respect for them grew day by day. They were the ones who kept her father safe and sound. They were the men who risked their lives to save her father. But they failed. He had been assassinated.

Still, she looked up to the security guards. They kept her away from danger, but in return, they themselves were often thrown headfirst into danger. They risked their lives to save another's. Which was exactly why she wanted to be one.

Karen told her over and over again, day and night, that it was a ridiculous idea. That girls of her caliber shouldn't be out there trying to protect someone's life when they could barely protect their own. That she should be doing something more productive and respectable, something like being a doctor, lawyer, some professional, five days a week job. Which was exactly another reason why she wanted to be a bodyguard. She wanted to prove to everyone that a woman was capable of doing anything a man could. That she was capable of doing whatever she set herself to.

After her parents' death, Joy still had to be protected. After all, she was the only heir, the only Solomon family member left. Who knew what those people who killed her father wanted to do next? She hated having to report everything she did, where she was, what she ate. In her eyes, she didn't need them. She was all grown up. It was her turn to step up to be that person for somebody else. Gradually, she changed herself step by step. She cut all contact with the people she had known from her life, except Karen. They both moved out of the big Solomon mansion in the middle of Dublin in exchange for a small secluded cottage in the country. She bid goodbye to the guards and the hired help who had stayed with her, with the exception of the chief guard, Steve. He had stayed with her father since the moment he stepped foot into the world of politics, and was her father's most trusted and loyal employee. It had taken a lot of persuading on her part to get him to help her, to allow her out on the field and to cut away all ties with all those who knew the Solomon family, but in the end, he saw that it would be best for her. He knew she couldn't go on living a sheltered life like this.

He helped her put the house on the market for sale, and had connections that enabled her to put her multimillion dollar trust fund under a different name. He helped her with her new identity, helping her obtain documentation with her new self. It was safest that way; that people didn't know who she was anymore. She rid herself of all her old baggage. It was time to start anew.

She gradually changed herself step by step. She grew her chin-length hair that she had all her life, long. She dyed it her natural brown hair to a dark shade of blonde. She changed her name to her great-grandmother's. Haley.As of that day, Joy Elisabeth Solomon didn't exist anymore.


	2. When Things Were Still Simple

So, I want to thank all of you for the warm responses to this new fic of mine. I really didn't expect it to get the interest that it did.I hope it wasn't too confusing to read, what with the identity switch and all that. Hopefully, it gets better. :D

**Chapter 2 – When Things Were Still Simple**

"Morning," Haley breezed into the office, immaculately dressed and punctual like every other day. Patting Jake on the shoulder, she grinned. "Trying to set some kind of personal record, Jagielski? You're never earlier than I am."

Jake looked up at her woefully and stifled a yawn. "Tell that to the bus. Missy broke down."

"She did?" Haley cocked an eyebrow, referring to Jake's old station wagon who he had affectionately named Missy. "What happened?"

"I have no idea," he slumped back into his chair. "The mechanics are probably giving Missy a full body check as we speak."

"Sounds kinky," she laughed, as Jake tossed a pencil at her.

"Shut up," he grumbled under his breath.

Haley took a sip of her coffee. "Why so glum?"

"Besides for the obvious lack of hot women in my life, Brad also called for a meeting."

She tossed the pencil back at him pointedly. "I shall choose to ignore the first part of that snide statement."

Jake laughed, the rich deep laughter which she had gotten so used to over the years. "What I meant to say was that, you're not hot, Hales-" he paused dramatically, dodging a playful punch from her. "-you're hotter than hot, you're boiling point hot. Sizzling, even."

"That's better."

"Oh eww, I can't believe I just called you hot. That's almost incest."

Brad, their boss walked in, a stack of folders in his arms. "Who's hot?"

"Jake said I was." Haley said triumphantly, while Jake made a face behind her back.

Shaking his head, Brad reached over to pat Haley lightly on the shoulder. "Honestly Haley, you need a new best friend."

Haley laughed. "Yeah, Jagielski's just for buying time till I find a new better one. He'll do for the time being."

"For that remark Brad, I expect a raise at the end of this year." Jake yelled after his boss good-naturedly.

"Meeting in five!" he called back, the door slamming behind him.

"Finally, some work." Haley remarked.

"Only you could look so happy at the prospect of more work," Jake retorted.

"Oh come on, you know you know you live for this," she swiveled around in her chair. "You'll perk up soon."

Jake rolled his eyes comically. "Really? Perk up at what? An assignment to an old rich man who needs someone to protect him from the big, bad robbers?"

Haley grinned. "Well, we'll find out soon enough." She gathered her files and headed for the meeting room. "You coming?" she asked.

"You're such an energizer bunny, James." Jake stood up and stretched. "What keeps you so motivated?"

Haley knew very well what it was. It was the ability to keep someone safe and sound.

* * *

Five years back, Joy Solomon had changed her name to Haley Joy James. Nothing too fancy or grand. Just Haley, after her maternal grandmother. She had gotten accepted into a security agency after passing her rookie course and tests. Immediately after, she made friends with Jake Jagielski, another rookie who had joined about the same time as she had. He was one of the few people she considered close to her, her best friend. So close, that she almost told him everything about herself. Almost. It felt good to have a best friend because growing up; she didn't have any friends besides Karen, her parents, the bodyguards and the maids in the house. None of which were her own age. Her friendship with Jake was real, genuine.

* * *

Brad smiled at his crew. He had hand-selected them himself, and he only had the very best. Slowly, his gaze settled on Haley, his only female recruit. She was great at what she did, very agile and intelligent, with a spotless record. She was tiny, at least a head shorter than most of them, but she could pack a mean right hook. The thing about her, was that no one ever expected her to be able to do what she did, and what's more, to be damn good at what she did. 

"Okay, first up." Brad spoke. "Good morning, guys."

Choruses of 'mornings!' were heard from the ten people seated around the long table.

"Well, let's get this done with." He reached over for the file on the top of the stack. "This is Dorie Folkner. She's a widow, her husband just passed away this year." He passed the file around for scrutinizing.

Jake took one look at the picture of the young blonde girl in the file, and the picture of her deceased old husband next to it, and snorted. "Let me guess. She thinks all guys are after her to cheat her of her huge bank account which her poor dead husband left her, when actually it's what she married him for in the first place?"

Brad grinned. "You're getting better at this, Jagielski. You want the job?"

Jake cringed. "I'll shut up now, thanks very much."

"It can't possibly be that bad," Haley offered.

"Jake could use a girlfriend." Another guard, Sean, snickered. "Weren't you complaining about the lack of hot women just awhile ago?"

Jake shot him a death look.

"Put your money where your mouth is, Sean. I've got you down for the job." Brad smiled. "I've paired you up with Miller for this."

Andy Miller, the clown of the office, let out an exaggerated string of obscenities under his breath, his dimple deepening good-naturedly when he was done. "Again?"

Haley laughed along with everyone. "Oh come on, guys, if it really is such a hassle, I'll take it. It'll probably be easier for me than it would be for them," she said, glancing at her boss.

"Thank you, James! I knew I loved you once I set eyes on you." Sean joked, laughing, while Andy made puppy-dog eyes at her. "I promise the name of my first-born after you, even if it's a boy."

Brad shook his head, smirking at Sean and at the camaraderie that all of them shared. "As a matter of fact, Haley, I've got another job for you." He grabbed another file off the stack. "This job'll require you to travel."

Haley nodded.

"It's a group of basketball players."

"Basketball?"

By now, everyone was listening attentively to Brad.

"They're touring Europe as a part of a sponsorship deal with Nimble Shoes and in an effort to get more interest in the NBA amongst Europeans."

"Basketball," Haley said under her breath. Her father had played basketball in high school, she remembered. She had watched videos of him playing back in the days when she was little, and it had seemed so vivid, so passionate, so raw. So unlike what she saw on television these days, of highly paid basketball players who were always in the news for some controversy or affair. For all the wrong reasons.

"Are you a fan?"

"No, not at all."

"Well, then they'll be needing two extra guards with them since they'll be on tour. Their manager requested a female guard because it would seem less suspicious with a woman traveling with them whereas a few big beefy guys- not that you guys are beefy anyway-" he grinned, while Jake and the rest glared at him. "-would look a little, well, a little too much. They'll need your service for about three months while they tour Europe. I've got you and Jake down for this. Jagielski, you play a bit of ball, don't you?"

Jake nodded, flexing his fingers. He loved a good game of basketball, and to travel with a few upcoming NBA stars sounded like the job of a lifetime. He glanced at Haley, and nudged her lightly in the ribs, knowing how she felt about it.

Haley shrugged. "Well, I'm the only one you have." Brad usually ran an easy ship and allowed them to trade assignments at times, but it didn't seem like he would budge this time round. "So basically all I have to do is to keep the band away from hordes of crazy screaming girls?"

"And guys, too, don't forget," Brad added, raising an eyebrow.

She shrugged. "Okay, I guess," she glanced at Jake.

Jake nodded. "Look on the bright side. Free trip round Europe."

Haley rolled her eyes, and folded her arms. This would be one long assignment. Those basketball players better not expect her to wait on them hand and foot. Fat chance, but she could still hope.

* * *

Leaveme areview. Please? ;) 


	3. On the Wrong Foot

Again, I want to thank you all for the awesome feedback. It really makes my day. :)

On a side note- I just watched the oh-so-amazing Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in The Lake House and was inspired to write. I am such a sap that it's not even funny, lol. :D

So, without all the rambling, here's the next chap, do read and review. ;)

* * *

**Chapter3 – On the Wrong Foot**

"I'll be bringing you to the guys in a moment. Now if you'll just place your luggage over here, and sit down over there, it won't take long. Now give me a sec will you? I've got some things to attend to over there!"

Haley stared in disbelief at the Peyton, the assistant that had greeted them at the airport. She seemed so frazzled and stressed out. Haley didn't even think that she had had a good look at her; she had been a blur of blonde springy curls and jeans.

Jake sat back as Peyton left the room. "Welcome to the world of the rich and famous!"

Haley cringed. "If they think we're gonna sit around here waiting for them the whole day, then they're seriously wrong. We're not their minions or anything, we're their guards," she said, sounding indignant.

"Look on the bright side, Hales. You'll have your pick of five men. Five hunka hunka burning basketball players."

Haley burst out laughing. "Hunka hunka? What are you, from the Archies?"

He glared at her. "Hey, do not knock the greatness that is the Archies."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Why are you complaining anyway? You're supposed to do your guy bonding stuff. You know, see who can belch the loudest, have the stinkiest fart, biggest ego, et cetera, and all that weird testosterone crap."

"Why am I still friends with you?" Jake hit himself on the forehead. "I swear, I have no ego. You never give it a chance to inflate again anyway."

"That's what friends are for."

* * *

Five long hours, a lean blonde guy walked into the room. "Hey, you must be the new security. I'm Lucas."

Jake nodded at him. "Jake Jagielski."

Haley shook his hand. "Haley James."

"Look, I'm really sorry to keep you guys waiting, but our interview went a little too long, and well the whole schedule just got out of hand. Not every day's like this, I promise."

Jake smiled. "It's alright, Mr.…?" His voice trailed off as he realized he didn't know Bryan's last name.

"Scott, but c'mon, just call me Lucas."

"It's alright, Lucas." If there was anything Jake was, despite his affinity for humour, it was definitely professional. He might be poking fun of them behind their backs, but he was truly professional and he didn't mix business with pleasure.

One by one, four other men trooped into the room, all looking tired and worn out.

"Hey, call me Fergie." A tall black man with a crazy afro walked into the room, clapping Jake on the back forcefully and shaking Haley's hand politely.

The one with floppy brown hair grinned goofily at Haley. "I'm Tim, with a T, that is."

"Skills. Nice to meet you."

The last guy looked at Haley disdainfully. He nodded at her, as if to acknowledge her. "Nathan."

Haley held out her hand but he had already sat down on the couch. Her eyes hardened. Ass. She didn't like him already.

* * *

They got settled into their respective hotel rooms for the night. Jake and Haley weren't assigned to anything for the rest of the day, so they started unpacking. Haley glanced around the room when she was done, her eyes taking in the size of it. "Talk about spoilt," she muttered to herself. Sports players were overpaid and overrated, and she'd always thought so. Didn't look like it was going to change anytime soon.

Flopping on to the bed on her belly, she rummaged in her bags and found what she was looking for. A red leather bound journal, in which she wrote in once in a while, kept all her ideas for songs, poems and stories in and all her memories like photos, notes and other small stuff. Haley grabbed a pen from her bedside table and chewed on the end of it, a habit she never could seem to get rid off.

She opened it to the first page as usual, her daily ritual. The photo of her mother and her father smiled out at her. Haley smiled wistfully at them. "I love you, Mom and Dad." She flipped to the next page. There were some diary entries of when she was sixteen. She flipped a few more pages. Haley stopped at the page. There was a picture of her, on her first day of work in the security agency. Then there was the ticket stub from her very first movie. Little Post-It Notes from Karen slipped in between the pages here and there. Haley might not admit it, but she was a sentimentalist at heart.

She glanced at the next page. Random songs she penned down from time to time. She wrote lyrics almost everywhere she went. The melodies to the songs were always in her head, but she never seemed to have the time to sit down behind a piano to work the entire thing out. She stopped at a song which she had written right after her father's death, when the pain was still so fresh for her. The page had dried up tear blots and smeared ink. She still remembered all the pain that she had recorded on that page. The date was there as well. 15 August 1994. Haley glanced over her small loopy handwriting.

Haley bit her lip to keep from crying. Sometimes she just felt vulnerable. But it was a side that no one else had ever seen, not even Jake. It wasn't a side she was allowed to show throughout the day. She only allowed herself to break down and sob her heart out once in a while at night when no one knew. Quickly, she grabbed her pen, flipped to a new page and started writing. Writing had always been something easy from Haley. She was able to capture life on paper, make her stories and songs vivid.

_Today, I started work for my new clients. A bunch of guys. Who play basketball. Basketball. I mean, sure, I'm always happy working, but seriously, basketball players? A bunch of people who don't seem like they have any regard for the beauty of the sport. Not like how Dad used to seem, when I watched his old basketball videos with him. Players today are more taken aback with the fame factor more than anything else. The money, the parties, and the sex available on ready platters. _

_Jake and I spent five hours waiting. Five hours, imagine that. Just to wait for them to finish their little interview and to introduce us to them. Okay, so they're good looking. So what? That doesn't mean I'm going to wait on them hand and foot. If that's what they think, then they're deluded. And if they think they're going to leer at me like a piece of meat, that's where they're seriously misguided too. I supposed they wouldn't need to leer at me anyway. They probably have blonde models hanging around all day with breasts that cost a year of my wages. God help me._

_In all fairness, they're pretty cute. A bunch of pretty boys. Although, with their built, they're hardly boys. I suppose it's a prerequisite to have a nice body if you play a sport. Lucas, Fergie, Tim, Skills, and Nathan. And speaking of Nathan, God, what an attitude that guy has. He wouldn't even shake my hand when I was introducing myself to him! He just gave me that I'd-rather-not-talk-to-you-and-not-shake-your-grubby-hand look. The nerve of him. What, just because he thinks he's a "star", that it gives him the authority to be a better person than I am? What a creep. The creeps are always better looking too. Such a shame._

_I am so, so glad to be here with Jake. I don't think I would be able to pull through without him by my side, cracking jokes. As lame as they can be sometimes, they feel awfully comfortable to me. It's something we've fallen into over the years, being comfortable with each other, and that's awesome. Although, he does have a thing for blondes, so he better not start ogling those model wannabes. I don't think I could take anymore drooling._

_It's only been a day, and already I miss Karen to death. She's an amazing ranting spot._

_Well, I'm currently in France. Paris to be exact. Supposedly, the city of romance. Haven't had much time to go around yet since I spent five hours this morning waiting for the guys. Hopefully I'll get some time off later. Honestly, the only advantage of accepting this job, is that the pay's pretty damn good. And that I get a complete all-expenses paid for trip around Europe._

_Now, if only Nathan Scott could disappear off the face of the earth._

_

* * *

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Review, anyone?


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